Phlox paniculata plant named ‘Shockwave’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique cultivar of Tall Garden  Phlox  named  Phlox paniculata  ‘Shockwave’ that has variegated leaf margins emerging bright chartreuse and lightening to a creamy yellow and green center, foliage highly resistant to powdery mildew and floriferous stems of about 30 to 45 cm tall producing sweetly-fragrant lavender-pink flowers with white center and lavender-pink eye zones especially suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, and for cut flower arrangements.

Botanical classification: Phlox paniculata.

Variety denomination: ‘Shockwave’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phloxpaniculata plant, known as Phlox paniculata ‘Shockwave’ and will bereferred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Shockwave’, or the “newplant”. The new plant was discovered in spring of 2008 and separated outfor further evaluation in the summer of 2008 by Lonette A. Lembergerfrom a tissue-cultured batch greenhouse grown plantlets at a nursery inZeeland, Mich., USA. The single whole plant mutation originated as anuninduced sport from Phlox ‘David's Lavender’ (not patented). The planthas been asexually propagated by stem cuttings at the same nursery inthe greenhouses in Zeeland, Mich. The unique characteristics of the newplant have been found to be reproducible and stable in successivegenerations of asexually propagated and the resultant plants have beenfound to be identical to the original selection.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Phlox paniculata ‘Shockwave’ is unique from all other Tall Garden Phloxknown to the inventor. There are several phlox with variegated marginsincluding: ‘Becky Towe’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,908, ‘Goldmine’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 12,070, ‘Rubymine’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,824,‘Silvermine’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,764, ‘Nihon Kaki’ U.S. Plant Pat.No. 12,002, ‘Harlequin’ (not patented), ‘Nora Leigh’ (not patented) and‘Triple Play’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,329. All of the above listed Phloxare from the species paniculata_except ‘Triple Play’ which is aselection from Phlox glaberrima ssp. triflora.

In addition to having a leaf margin that becomes creamy yellow,‘Shockwave’ differs from ‘David's Lavender’ in being more compact andshorter, the new plant being about half the height.

VARIEGATED PHLOX COMPARISON CULTIVAR VARIEGATION FLOWER COLOR ‘BeckyTowe’ margin gold becoming creamy salmon-carmine rose ‘David's Lavender’none lavender-pink ‘Goldmine’ margin chartreuse becoming bright purplecreamy yellow ‘Harlequin’ margin creamy white becoming fuchsia white‘Nihon Kaki’ margin creamy becoming pink creamy white with random greenspots ‘Nora Leigh’ margin creamy becoming near white with pink eye white‘Rubymine’ margin creamy white becoming pinkish lavender white‘Shockwave’ margin chartreuse becoming lavender-pink creamy yellow‘Silvermine’ margin golden white ‘Triple Play’ margin creamy whiteflushed lavender-pink with pink

‘Shockwave’ differs from these listed, the parent sport ‘David'sLavender’ and all other Tall Garden Phlox known to the inventor in thefollowing repeatedly observed traits in combination:

-   -   1. Variegated leaf margins emerging bright chartreuse and        lightening to a creamy yellow and green center.    -   2. Foliage highly resistant to powdery mildew.    -   3. Floriferous stems of about 30 to 45 cm tall producing        sweetly-fragrant lavender-pink flowers with white center and        lavender-pink eye zones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of‘Shockwave’ and the overall appearance of the plant at two-years old.The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with colorreproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and directionmay cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant with late spring to early summer foliage.

FIG. 2 shows the floriferous flower head of the new plant together withmid-summer foliage.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2001edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. Phlox paniculata ‘Shockwave’ has notbeen observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may varyslightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light,fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any changein the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions arebased on two-year old plants in the full sun trial garden of a nurseryin Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Phlox paniculata.-   Parentage: Non-induced whole plant mutation of Phlox paniculata    ‘David's Lavender’.-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, producing several    rigid, basally-branched, upright stems; 30 to 45 cm tall at    flowering and 18 to 24 cm wide; large rounded panicle cluster to    14.0 cm across and 15.0 cm tall; flowering begins late-summer in    Michigan and continuing for about 4 weeks.-   Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 14 days.-   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 8 to 10    weeks; moderate rate of growth.-   Root: Primary roots to about 3.0 mm thick; secondary fibrous and    freely branching; color cream white to tan depending on soil type.-   Leave: Simple, opposite, oblanceolate, entire, glabrous above and    minutely pubescent below; acute apex, attenuate sessile base; 9.0 to    10.0 cm long by 2.5 to 3.0 cm wide in the center; variegated leaf    margin variable between 2.0 mm and 11.0 mm wide.-   Leaf color young foliage: Adaxial surface more gray than RHS 141A    and more green than RHS 137A in the center; adaxial surface between    RHS N144A and RHS N144C on the margin with variable intermediate    sectors of nearest RHS N144D or more green than RHS 151D; abaxial    surface between RHS 143A and RHS 144A in the center; abaxial surface    same as adaxial side on the margin with variable intermediate    sectors more green than RHS 145D and more yellow than RHS 146D.-   Leaf color mid-season: Adaxial surface nearest RHS 136A in the    center; adaxial surface nearest RHS 160D on the margin with    intermediate sectors of lighter than RHS 147D; abaxial surface    nearest N138A in the center and nearest RHS 160D on the margin with    intermediate sectors of nearest RHS 141B.-   Foliage fragrance: None detected.-   Veins: Pinnate; minutely pubescent below and glabrous above;    mid-vein about 1.0 mm wide at base, slightly sunken above and raised    below.-   Vein color: Nearest RHS 148C on the adaxial surface and nearest RHS    147C on abaxial surface.-   Petiole: Leaves sessile.-   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Petals twisted about each    other, narrowly oblanceolate, acute apex with petals twisted about    each other; about 1.0 cm long and 3.0 mm diameter.-   Bud color: Nearest RHS 84D with slightly darker petal margins.-   Flowers: Salverform, with fused tube about 2.4 cm long and limb    about 2.6 cm across consisting of five petals; held in a branched    panicle of about 90 flowers.-   Flower longevity: About 5 days on plant or as cut flower;    self-cleaning.-   Flower fragrance: Pleasantly sweet.-   Petals: Five, glabrous except for inner 5 mm of tube throat, rounded    limbs with rounded to emarginate apex; limbs diameter about 1.5 cm,    overlapping about 30%; base fused into a tube about 3.0 mm diameter    and 2.4 cm long; surfaces with fine hairs the same color as petals.-   Petal color:    -   -   Adaxial surface of limb.—Central eye of about 4.0 mm            diameter nearest N66D, center bulls-eye extending to about            3.5 mm from center and outside of center eye of nearest            lighter than RHS 75D, and outside of petal between RHS 75A            and RHS 70C.        -   Abaxial surface of limb.—Between RHS 75C and RHS 75D.        -   Adaxial surface of tube.—Between RHS 75C and RHS 75D.        -   Abaxial surface of tube.—Lighter than RHS N74D.-   Androecium:    -   -   Filaments.—Usually five, fused to inner petals, of varying            lengths between 1.0 mm and 20 mm and less than 0.5 mm in            diameter; lighter than RHS 69D.        -   Anther.—Oblong elliptic, about 3.0 mm by 1.0 mm wide,            nearest RHS 158D.        -   Pollen.—Not yet observed.-   Gynoecium:    -   -   Pistil.—One per flower.        -   Style.—Cylindrical; about 2.5 cm long and 0.5 mm diameter            when flower is mature; lighter than RHS 69D at distal range            and near white at base.        -   Stigma.—Split in the proximal 2 mm and about 0.25 mm in            diameter; persistent after flower abscission; nearest; RHS            158D.        -   Ovary.—Inferior; elliptic, about 2.0 mm long and 1.0 mm            diameter; between RHS 139D and RHS 138D.-   Sepals: Five, glabrous or minutely and sparsely pubescent;    lanceolate, with fused base and acute apex; about 7.0 mm long and    1.0 mm wide.-   Sepal color: Nearest RHS 137B on both adaxial and abaxial surfaces.-   Peduncle: Glaucous, stiff, strong, erect, rounded to about 0.5 cm    across and 30.0 cm long; about 10 per plant; branched at distal    nodes; about 30 to 35 nodes per peduncle; average internode length    about 1.0 cm; peduncle color between RHS 138B and RHS 139C with    nodes same color.-   Fruit: Fruit and seed have not yet been observed.-   Hardiness and culture: The new plant grows best with plenty of    moisture and adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 4    through 8.-   Disease and pest resistance: Phlox ‘Shockwave’ demonstrated the same    excellent powdery mildew resistance of the parent sport ‘David's    Lavender’ under conditions that would show symptoms among all but    the most resistant varieties.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Tall Garden Phlox, Phlox paniculata‘Shockwave’, as herein described and illustrated, especially suitable asa potted plant, for the garden, for attracting hummingbirds andbutterflies, and for cut flower arrangements.